Army Reserve could well be the part-time job of your life

WHEN you think of part-time work, I am guessing your mind turns to teenagers delivering pizzas or working the register at a local supermarket.

Nothing too exciting. A means to an end, maybe, while they finish high school or pay their way through university.

A part-time job can be a whole lot more. Think things like tax-free pay, travel opportunities, cutting-edge training and the opportunity to make a difference in your community, nationally and internationally.

With a minimum commitment of just 20 days a year, joining the Army Reserve could well be the part-time job of your life.

Take Major Barry Flaherty for example. He joined the Australian Army in 1972 and spent a year in the '80s posted to the UN Mission in India and Pakistan. After decades of service, he left the Army to join the Reserve.

"The Army was my life for 33 years and the continued association with the Reserve provides a connection to another professional and ethical organisation that fills a personal need," Mr Flaherty said.

His involvement with the Reserve has been largely focused on supporting fellow reservists and their employers, by his work with Defence Reserves Support.

In his civilian life Mr Flaherty works as a casual bus driver for Brisbane Transport at the Toowong depot and drives routes across the western suburbs and Brisbane City.

While Mr Flaherty would have had a pretty good idea of what he was signing on for it was not so for Engineer Squadron recon officer Laura Cook. She joined the Reserve in 2005 while studying at the University of New South Wales.

She decided she wanted a part-time job that would not only fit in with her schedule, but also be challenging and give her new skills.

She said she felt that joining the Army Reserve would be a great way to give back to the country.

Her job involves planning squadron training activities and courses, and ensuring squadron personnel attend externally-run training courses to make sure they are ready for deployment.

"I get real job satisfaction from the diversity of my role, but more so when I hear that the sappers have particularly enjoyed a training activity that I was involved in planning," Ms Cook said.